***
The spike of jealousy that had pierced Caleb’s chest when he’d seen Lauren talking to that Mike guy in the ballroom had surprised Caleb, even though it shouldn’t have. He should really face facts that he was developing feelings for this woman.
So he’d swept in there to get her attention and prevent her from going out with that guy, who could have been perfectly nice. And it would have been within her rights to go out with him, because it wasn’t like she had any kind of commitment to Caleb. And yet.
“Well, now what?” she asked when they were outside.
“Uh, well. You want to get a drink?”
Lauren scrunched up her nose, clearly displeased with that suggestion. “Can we just walk for a bit? Get out of the Times Square area?”
“All right. Lead the way.”
Caleb still didn’t know the city well, but he recognized they were walking east, toward Sixth Avenue. It wasn’t very late, only just after eight o’clock, but once they were outside of the Times Square bubble, the streets were fairly empty, the office workers all gone home.
“Did you have dinner?” Lauren asked.
“Yeah, I ate with Jenny before the presentation.”
“This Jenny. Is she—”
“Happily married to a high school math teacher. We’re just old friends.”
“Not that it’s any of my business.”
Caleb didn’t want to pursue that. Likely the thought process in Lauren’s head was similar to the one he’d just worked through. “Did you eat?”
“Yeah, I had a sandwich before I came here. I could use a snack or something, though.” She looked around. “Oh, it’s one of those frozen yogurt places that has a zillion flavors. Let’s go there.”
Caleb laughed. “Okay.”
“Unless you don’t like frozen yogurt.”
“Who doesn’t like frozen yogurt?”
“Monsters. All right, let’s go.”
The yogurt place was self-serve, with twenty-one flavors to choose from and an extensive toppings bar. Caleb looked at all the options, sampled a few, and settled on a bit of strawberry and a bit of vanilla yogurt, with fresh berries on top. When he convened with Lauren at the checkout, she had a cup with at least five different flavors and a flurry of toppings: crushed cookies, chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, marshmallows, and a dab of whipped cream.
“That’s some sundae you’ve got there,” Caleb said.
Lauren peered into his cup. “Fresh fruit? Do you know how to let loose at all?”
“Just put your cup on the counter.” He pulled out his wallet. “Dessert’s on me.”
“All right.”
“You’re not going to fight me? Protest that this isn’t a date? That you are a modern woman who can pay for her own frozen yogurt?”
Lauren grinned and put her cup next to his on the scale next to the register. “All those things are true. But also, you offered, and you make more money than I do.”
Caleb handed the cashier his credit card. “Fair enough.”
They settled into a booth with bright red seats, sitting across from each other. Lauren dug in. Caleb watched her eat for a moment before taking his first bite.
He said, “So what’s a dame like you doing in a place like that?”
“Huh?”
